Customer Reviews

Go Long!: My Journey Beyond the Game and the Fame

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have always loved to watch Jerry Rice on the football field. What a class act in all aspects of his life. For football fans, it was interesting to learn some about the inside realities of how teams and coaches operate. I think very few people in sports possess the work ethic and personal responsibility to achieve perfection as Jerry Rice does. He will always be a success as a man, husband, father, athlete or anthing he chooses because of the determination and drive he possesses as reflected in his book. His athleticism and, at the same time, grace is unsurpassed. The man can dance too! A good read that will remind folks that hard work and humility is a sterling quality in all walks of life and that even humble beginnings can be an asset in the scope of life. Love the man! (And I'm a lady who loves football!)

I burned through this book the day it was released. Although the book is short it is not short on great stories and inspirational tales. Any fan of the 49ers, Jerry or the NFL should pick this book up!

Great book about "THE GREATEST PLAYER" THE NFL HAS EVER SEEN! Thanks Jerry for sharing your life's journey with your fans.

Jerry Rice's story is a quick read and quite entertaining. His candid comments about other players are heartfelt and truly illustrate Jerry's serious take on the game of football. He holds both himself and others to a high standard, and that is refreshing in this world where so many athletes appear to want the glory without the work. I highly recommend Go Long! Even my thirteen year old who hates to read loved it!

Excellent book, easy read. Very frank and honest dialogue produces a very refreshing look at the character and
makeup of NFL great Jerry Rice. He possesses "old school" values, rare for todays athletes and his humble
approach and its origins are clearly defined in his upbringing. Would highly recommend it for parents and players
of any sport as well as non-players as it explores more than the world of athletics and promotes a great
work ethic.

K.F.

I am a collector of 49ers books and I thought I would point out some factual errors in this book by Jerry. I'm not claiming any of that is a big deal mind you, nor will it keep you or I up at night but I thought I would point it out rather than rehash what everyone else says, which it is in fact a cool book by the best NFL player ever.
He's not the first to have factual errors in these sports biographies; I have seen virtually every other 49ers book have them too whether it was by Roger Craig or sports writer Glen Dickey. Anyhow....

He mentions that he and John Taylor were making some catches to get a drive going during Super Bowl 23. Actually, the only catch Taylor made during this game was the winning touchdown with only 34 seconds left. There were no other receptions for the great John Taylor.

He mentioned that the Bucs beat the 49ers in the NFC championship game to advance to the Super Bowl. The Bucs beat the Niners in the divisional playoff round; they would beat the Eagles in the championship game.

Being that I loathe the Raiders, the next mistake made me cringe because he gave them too much credit (haha)....claiming that when he signed with them, Al Davis was hoping he could help them reach a Super Bowl again, where they hadn't been since "1994." Actually, he was off by a decade; the Raiders hadn't been to the Super Bowl since 1984, not 1994. This mistake kind of surprised me, so maybe it was just a typo on the part of the editor.

So there you have it! (And for the record, I even found two mistakes in the 2002 NFL fact book.)

There's nothing really wrong with this book, but there's not a ton that's really right with it either. First of all it's short. Yeah, it clocks in at about 150 pages, but it reads like it's about half of that. Rice doesn't seem to want to get really deep into his personal life or the lives of his teammates.

His main focus is on his football career. This makes sense since it was a huge part of his life. He didn't even take a vacation in the first 10 years of his NFL career. He went straight back to training. So I can understand that his focus is on his work. But this leaves you with a picture of a shell of a man. I respect him for the hard work that he put in, and he makes it pretty clear that he's ready to move on to new challenges, so I hope that he rounds himself out into a whole person.

One thing really stuck out to me: He doesn't like criticism. He read all of the articles written about him and held grudges toward those who were critical. Also, any time there was failure in his career or other aspects of his life, he seems to find a scapegoat (not him) to point to where things went wrong.

I respect Jerry Rice, but this book is only OK. I'd recommend it for your junior high or high school student who is struggling to latch on to reading material. It's a quick, easy read about a popular persona.

This is a very quick and easy read.

Jerry Rice is one of the greatest players ever, maybe the greatest wide receiver ever. In this book, he tells of his upbringing and his career both on and off the field. There is no boasting, just the simple telling of the story in a short (157 pages) manner.

Very good read, a lot better than so many NFL player auto-biographies.

Jerry Rice has routinely been called the all time greatest reciever for the last 20 years. This title does not do him justice. In football, the goal of the offense is to move the ball and score points...preferably touchdowns. The goal of the defense is to prevent this from happening. Jerry Rice could not be stopped by the Giants, the Bears, the Cowboys, the Steelers, the Broncos nor any one else at any time in his career. He not only is the all time leader in catches, yards and touchdowns, no one else is even close. This man is quite simply the greatest football player of all time.
Jerry touches on his life and career from high school, college and the NFL. He speaks of his legendary work ethic, the fact, that in his opinion Joe Montana was superior to Steve Young, and, as a devoted family man and husband, the ordeal he went through when his wife faced life-threatening complications after giving birth.
This a an interestng,quick read about a classy individual as well as a superb player and would reccomend it to any football or sports fan.

I've never been a 49er fan, but I've always admired Jerry Rice for his skill and work ethic. There has never been a better wide receiver. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Jerry doesn't shy away from controversial opinions about team mates and other players and he addresses his own mistakes and shortcomings in an up front way. I also appreciated the way that the book went beyond the usual sports bio in terms of teaching good life lessons based upon what the athlete actually learned through experiences, good and bad. Having rooted for Jerry in Dancing With the Stars, I was also intrigued by his motivation for doing the show and enjoyed the behind-the-scenes information and analysis of his experience there.